CHICAGO – Chicago friends and admirers of the late Theodore Spyropoulos honored him by erecting a statue in the Kalavryta Forest, near his birthplace, that has benefited from the reforestation efforts of “Plant Your Roots in Greece, Inc.,” which he founded.

The base of the statue bears  an inscription in Greek which calls him “The Ever-Present Benefactor.”

Last November, Halsted Street, in the heart of Chicago’s heralded Greek community “Greektown,” was been officially renamed Theodore Spyropoulos Street, honoring the recently-deceased benefactor.
The Municipal Council made it official on November 14 with the unveiling of a plaque bearing the new name.
Attending the event were Spyropoulos’ wife, Erika, and daughter Mariyana, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, and Secretary of State Jesse White, Consul General of Greece Ioanna Efthimiadou, and numerous other dignitaries.

In the above photo, Spyropoulos’ beloved wife Erika places flowers on the statue.

Spyropoulos’ seemingly countless community positions and initiatives included:

U.S.A. Regional Coordinator, Alternative President of the World Council of Hellenes of Hellenes Abroad (S.A.E.)
President, Plant Your Roots in Greece, Inc
President, Theodore and Erica Spyropoulos Foundation
Honorary and Past President, Hellenic American National Council U.S.A.
Past President, ENOSIS of Hellenic American Organizations of Illinois
President and Founder, Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce U.S.A.
Vice Chairman, American Hellenic Institute (AHI) http://www.ahiworld.com/
Chairman and Founder, The Spyropoulos Scholarship for Hellenic American Students in the USA and Hellas
Director, Automotive Wholesalers of Illinois
U.S.A. Regional Coordinator, Alternative President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (S.A.E), World Council
Director, Chicago Sister Cities International Program
Member, AHEPA
Member, Automotive Service Industry Association (ASIA)
Member, Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMA)
Member, Export Council of USA
Member, International Political Advisory Council
Member, Businessmen’s Democratic National Committee (BDNC)
Member, American European Committee Association USA
Member, AGEI Hellenic Interests of Greek Americans
Founding member of Technopolis, Thrace, Hellas, International
Member of EEC International Visiting Council